For An Easier Twist On Pumpkin Bread, Turn It Into A Dump Cake

As the temperatures get cooler and the leaves start turning, all we want to do is bake pumpkin-flavored treats. While pumpkin bread is a classic fall dessert, there are a few steps you have to follow before you can put your dough in the oven: You'll need to combine the wet and dry ingredients separately, then mix them together gradually. If you're short on time, or would rather spend your fall days out in the crisp air instead of mixing things in the kitchen, swap out your pumpkin bread for a pumpkin dump cake.

This dessert is easier to make than a quick bread and requires less arm work, but you'll still get all the same fall flavors in a delicious baked treat. Think of a typical dump cake like a cobbler: First, you pour the flavor-filled ingredient (in this case pumpkin) into a pan, then you add a dry topping such as cake mix to it. As the name suggests, you simply dump your layers in a pan and bake — that's it. Some recipes do require a little mixing, but it will still be several steps less than what you would need to do for a quick bread.

Just like with a cobbler, you're going to want to combine a few ingredients to make the flavorful first layer of your dump cake. You'll want to stir together pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling) with eggs, sugar, milk, and pumpkin pie spice — or instead of the latter ingredient, try a mixture of cinnamon, ginger, and cloves. Don't worry, this is the only stirring you'll do for the whole recipe.

Then, let the dumping begin. After pouring your pumpkin mixture into a greased pan, sprinkle a whole box of yellow cake mix (with nothing added) over the top. If you'd rather go full-throttle on the pumpkin flavor, you can try using a pumpkin-flavored cake mix instead of yellow — or if you want to change it up even more, grab a chocolate, butter pecan, or cinnamon box. Then, pour melted butter or arrange thin pats of butter over the top. If you'd like, you can sprinkle chocolate chips, crushed graham crackers, chopped nuts, or cinnamon over your batter — then sit back and let your dump cake bake while your house fills with pumpkin smells. Feel free to serve slices with whipped cream and more toppings, but you may want to let your cake cool down before diving in so it has time to set.